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Four of the five beers sampled by the panel on April 13, 2017 are from Elysian Brewing in Seattle, WA. The fifth beer was supposed to be Split Shot, also from Elysian, but the distributer did not get it there in time for the Beer Panel. The final beer of the evening was chosen for review by yours truly.

If these reviews intrigue you or pique your interest, take a trip to Vendome Wine and Spirits in Fullerton and use my code, “VEN10C” or mention my name “CARL” to get a 10% discount off the price. Enough of the fine print; let’s get to what you all paid for, the low down on these beers. Oh, and please read responsibly!

The rating system:0 – I wouldn’t offer this beer to my worst enemy.1 – I wouldn’t pay for this beer, but it’s alright.2 – Tasty, but easily forgettable.3 – I’ve had better, I’ve had worse.4 – I can see myself buying this beer and ordering seconds.5 – Just hook up the beer straight to my veins.

Saison Elysee: 6.4% ABV Rating – 3
Saison Elysee is a Belgian style Farmhouse Ale brewed with cumin. It pours a clear golden orange with a light ivory colored head that fades immediately. The aroma is sweet with spicy/fruity notes. The flavor is sweet and earthy with strong spicy and estery overtones from the Belgian yeast. The sweetness is not overwhelming, but that signature Belgian flavor is the foremost impression. This fades to a lingering slight bitterness. The body and mouth feel is medium with a high-medium carbonation level.

Overall, I would describe Saison Elysee as a typical Belgian style ale – spicy sweet. I don’t know what cumin smells or tastes like (although I understand it has a very strong flavor and aroma), so I don’t know how it affects this beer. I rated this in the middle of the scale because it’s decent beer, but is just another Belgian ale to me (not bad, not great). Caveat: I don’t particularly care for Belgian style beers and rarely drink them; keep that in mind when considering my opinion.

Day Glow IPA: 7.4% ABV 62 IBU Rating – 4
This IPA pours a slightly hazy golden yellow with a white head that rapidly fades to a thin ring around the perimeter. The aroma is tangerine with a little grapefruit. The flavor is grapefruit and orange, with a hint of sweetness. The aftertaste is the same, with a very pleasant and lingering bitterness. The body and mouth feel is medium with a medium carbonation level.

Day Glow IPA is very good. It features the very popular Mosaic hop variety, and really pulls it off quite nicely, setting it apart from a lot of the other Mosaic IPAs out there. It’s not a bitterness bomb, but the hoppy flavors really explode in the mouth. Well done, Elysian!

Space Dust IPA: 8.2% ABV 73 IBU Rating – 4
This is a big American style IPA. Although Elysian doesn’t describe it as a Double IPA, the high alcohol content and big malty flavor immediately made me think DIPA. It pours clear golden yellow with a white head that fades rapidly. The aroma is slightly malty sweet with tropical fruit notes from the Citra hops. The flavor is bittersweet, like a DIPA, with notes of citrus and grapefruit. The aftertaste is also slightly sweet, from the malt backbone and the Citra dry hopping. The mouth feel and body is medium with a medium carbonation level.

Overall, Space Dust is a very good, but dangerous beer. The 73 IBU are well balanced so it’s not overly bitter. The high alcohol content (8.2%) is not detectable in the flavor, which makes it easy to drink (but be careful – you will get your money’s worth). This beer has all the markers of a Double IPA, but is not labeled as such.

Since I tasted them side-by-side, I offer a brief comparison between Day Glow and Space Dust. This was my first taste of Day Glow but I have had Space Dust on several previous occasions. Day Glow is lower in IBU, but the hoppy aromas and flavors stand out more than Space Dust. The malty character is far more developed in Space Dust. The citrus notes are much greater in Day Glow. Alcohol content is high in both IPAs, but is slightly higher in Space Dust (though not noticeable in the flavor or aroma of either beer). Both beers are the same price. I enjoyed Day Glow a little more due to the hoppy nature, but I highly recommend both.

Dragonstooth Stout: 8.1% ABV 56 IBU Rating – 3
This is an Imperial Oatmeal Stout. Dragonstooth pours black with a tan head that remained for a short time. The aroma is sweet chocolate, coffee, dark fruit. The flavor follows suit – bittersweet chocolate, dark fruit (black cherry, plum), fig, a little coffee and some grainy bitterness. The 56 IBU is well hidden as this is all about the malt. The body and mouth feel is low-heavy and smooth. The carbonation level is moderate.

Dragonstooth is a nice oatmeal stout, but doesn’t stand out from the field. I think it could use a little more roasted grain to bring out the coffee notes. The oatmeal produces a nice slickness and viscosity in the mouth.

Chernyy Medved: Valiant Brewing, Orange, CA. 13% ABV Rating – 5
This is a Russian Imperial Stout with cherries and vanilla (Note: Chernyy is the Russian term for black or dark). It pours midnight black with a cocoa head that fades to a 1/8” ring. The aroma is sweet cherry with a hint of chocolate. The flavor is cherry, bitter chocolate and roasty. The 13% alcohol is well hidden in the flavor, but warms the throat on the way down. The aftertaste is cherry that lingers forever. Chernyy Medved is heavy and thick (think 90 wt gear oil) – use a spatula to get it out of the bottle. Carbonation is low, commensurate with the style.

As Chernyy Medved warms, the chocolate flavor becomes more evident, but the cherry aftertaste lingers, along with a nice balancing bitterness. Even as it warms, the alcohol flavor remains hidden.

I really like Chernyy Medved. It’s a thick, chocolate-cherry dessert beer. Don’t go to this one after you mowed the lawn on a hot day, however. Instead, sip it on an afternoon or evening when you don’t have any other plans; you’ll enjoy the journey – after all, at 13% ABV, it will get you where you want to go.

If my description of Chernyy Medved appeals to you, then you better get it soon. Unfortunately, Valiant Brewing closed two weeks ago, so once the current supply of this beer is exhausted, it will not be available again.

Well, there you have it. Elysian Brewing offers a nice variety of very good beers. Day Glow and Space Dust are exceptionally good IPAs. Valiant Brewing, unfortunately, is no longer in business, but Chernyy Medved is certainly a jewel in their crown and I highly recommend it (Note: refer to my Vendome Beer Panel review of 02-16-2017 for my opinion of another highly recommended Valiant brew, Coconut Imperial Brown Ale). If you want to give any of these beers (or all of them) a try, go to Vendome in Fullerton to purchase. Be sure to use code “VEN10C” or mention my name “CARL” to get a 10% discount off the price of these beers.

I heard at church this morning that Valiant Brewing in Orange, California, is closing it’s doors at the end of this month (March, 2017). After hearing the rumor, I went home and checked on line to confirm. Unfortunately, the news is true.

Valiant brewing, after 4 years in business in Orange, California, is permanently closing it’s doors at the end of March. That’s really unfortunate, as they truely are one of the great breweries in Orange County. The owner/head brewer, Brian Schroepfer, opened Valiant on February 13,2013. I went to the tasting room late that same year (2013) and was immediately impressed. Their quality and selection has improved since then to become what it is today. One of their IPAs, Citcoe Drive, was proudly served at my annual beer tasting party in September 2016. Really good stuff!

Unfortunately, Brian refused to consider outside investors for his brewery (I understand, Brian – you could lose control of your creativity, your dream, and your “manifest destiny”). If you ever read this, Brian, understand that I would have invested money with no strings attached, just to keep your brewery doing what it does so well (brewing great beer). When I found out you were closing, my wife suggested that I buy Valiant Brewing. I don’t think I would have done it, but that’s irrelevant, as the equipment was already sold.

After getting this sad news, I immediately went down to Valiant Brewing with Bob Waddell and Russ Matulich to have some excellent beer this fine Sunday afternoon. After a Coconut Imperial Brown Ale and a Chernny Medved with coffee (Chocolate/Cherry/Coffee Imperial Russian Stout), and a few sips of California Gloom (a New England style IPA), I left with a growler of the Coconut Brown Ale. It doesn’t get any better than this!

To Brian Schroepfer and Valiant Brewing, a sincere thanks for 4 years of “blood, sweat and beers.” You will be sorely missed, but never forgotten!!

This month I was selected to be on the Vendome Wine and Spirits beer panel. The panel consists of 5 individuals; none of us represent any brewery or distributer. We sample craft beer, write reviews, and rate the beer so that customers can access our expertise when making beer selections. This is a volunteer position – my only compensation is free beer samples once every three weeks. I am hopefully helping Vendome sell high quality craft beer with my recommendation, but I get no commission or wage from them. I am doing this strictly for the love of the beer.

Our first panel tasting was on Thursday February 16, 2017. We sampled five beers from five different breweries. My reviews are posted here for your reading pleasure. If any of my reviews pique your interest, I encourage you to go to Vendome and buy the beer. When you buy the beer based upon my recommendation, you will get a 10% discount off of their already low/competitive price if you use MY discount code, VEN10C. This code is specifically related to MY reviews; each person on the panel has a different code, and will be given credit for sales of the corresponding beer. Although I will get no monetary compensation, sales related to my discount code will help keep me on the panel (if I’m not bringing any customers in to purchase the recommended beer, I will be replaced on the panel by someone else).

Each beer is assigned a numerical rating, from 0 to 5, as follows:0 – I wouldn’t offer this beer to my worst enemy.1 – I wouldn’t pay for this beer, but it’s alright.2 – Tasty, but easily forgettable.3 – I’ve had better, I’ve had worse.4 – I can see myself buying this beer and ordering seconds.5 – Just hook up the beer straight to my veins.

So, here’s what you have all been waiting for . . . reviews and recommendations for five beers. These ratings are solely mine – I did not consult with or collaborate with the other panel members in my ratings, so I don’t know how they rated each beer. These are MY observations and recommendations only (note: the prices listed are for 22 oz. bombers at Vendome). Please read responsibly.

We Should See Other People: Arsenal Urban Ales, Westlake, CA. 5.4% ABV.
Rating – 4 ($6.99)
This blonde ale pours a clear golden color, typical for the style, with a white head that fades fairly rapidly. The aroma is fruity sweet, with coffee and cocoa (especially coffee!).

The flavor is sweet, coffee/mocha, then fades to a sweet coffee aftertaste. There is a very slight bitterness, but no real hoppy notes. This is a very clean tasting beer with a light body and medium carbonation.

Overall, We Should See Other People is a pleasant drinking experience. It’s a well balanced beer, though not a typical blonde ale, thanks to the added cocoa and coffee. The alcohol content at 5.4% is on the high side for a blonde, but it’s not so high that one couldn’t easily drink two or three in a sitting. Arsenal Urban Ales has done a nice job with this one, and I recommend it to anyone looking for an easy drinking ale with a little extra flavor complexity.

Land of Hopportunity Blood Orange IPA: 4 Sons Brewing, Huntington Beach, CA. 6.3% ABV 62 IBU
Rating – 3 ($6.99)
This IPA is a slightly different take on 4 Sons standard IPA, Land of Hopportunity, with the addition of blood orange. It pours a clear golden-orange with a thick, light cream colored head that persists for a couple of minutes. The aroma is hoppy, tropical fruit and a little citrus.

The flavor is hoppy but not overwhelming; it’s bitter with tropical fruit notes. The bitterness level is nice, not over the top, but there’s no doubt it’s an IPA. Nuances of orange are apparent on the back end and are dominant in the aftertaste. The body is light to medium, with a medium carbonation level.

This is a nice IPA, with subdued citrus/orange flavors. It’s good and it’s refreshing, but doesn’t’ stand out from the crowded field of American style IPAs. The alcohol content is mid level for the style. I can say I would drink this again if I had a bottle in my refrigerator, but would not go out of the way to buy it.

Expatriot: Three Weavers Brewing, Inglewood, CA. 6.9% ABV.
Rating – 4 ($7.49)Expatriot is an American style IPA from relative newcomer, Three Weavers Brewing. It pours a golden/orange color with a thin white head that rapidly fades. The aroma is malty sweet (pale malts) with some hoppy citrus.

The flavor is bittersweet, malty with tropical fruit and a hoppy chaser that fades to a citrus bitterness. The pleasant bitterness lingers forever in the aftertaste. This beer is a little more complex than the typical American style IPA – more like a Double IPA with the bittersweet malt/hops balance. The body is medium to medium-full, with medium-high carbonation, also reminiscent of a DIPA.

Expatriot is very good – well balanced, malty yet bitter and clean. The alcohol content is high for an IPA, so be careful with it. If you like big IPA’s, you should give it a try. I will definitely be on the lookout for this one in the future.

Coconut Imperial Brown Ale: Valiant Brewing, Orange CA. 8.5% ABV. 30 IBU
Rating – 5 ($7.49)
When Valiant Brewing opened a few years ago, they concentrated on Belgian style ales. They have since expanded their repertoire significantly and are doing it well! Brown ales are (in my opinion) difficult to get right, but Valiant did a great job with this one.

Coconut Imperial Brown Ale pours a clear dark brown with a light beige head that rapidly fades to thin ring around the perimeter. The aroma is sweet, coconut, with a hint of chocolate and a little alcohol.

The flavor is slightly roasty but sweet, with light cocoa, followed by a punch in the mouth with dark chocolate and coconut. Next up is pure coconut followed by a lingering semi-sweet chocolate and coconut aftertaste. Wait a minute, did I just take a bite of a Mounds candy bar? No, but that is the flavor profile here.

This beer features a very solid brown ale base, with some grainy bitterness and 30 IBU to balance the flavor, which otherwise could be too sweet. Again, even though it tastes like a candy bar, it’s not overly sweet. This is all about the coconut, and it’s well done. Some coconut beers on the market tend to have an “imitation” flavor, but this one tastes like toasted fresh coconut. Coconut Imperial Brown presents a medium body and mouthfeel, with light-medium carbonation. The alcohol content is relatively high, but is not detected in the flavor, so it would be easy to drink too much.

Based on my 3 oz. sample, I think this beer is excellent. I will definitely buy it in the future. One caveat, however: with this much flavor, a 22 oz. bomber might wear me out. I highly recommend Coconut Imperial Brown Ale to anyone who enjoys dark beers. Well done, Valiant!

Café Racer 15: Bear Republic Brewing, Cloverdale, CA. 9.75% ABV. 100+ IBU.
Rating – 5 ($8.99)Café Racer 15 is a Double IPA from well known Bear Republic Brewing in Northern California. It pours a clear orange with a white head that fades rapidly, leaving no ring. The aroma is citrus hoppy and sweet with just a hint of tropical fruit.

The flavor is quintessential DIPA – bittersweet. It has a nice, thick malty framework, including notes of caramel, covered with pine and citrus. The overall impression is citrus, but that is mitigated by a big malty sweetness. The 100+ IBU is well balanced, so it doesn’t taste like a bitter hop bomb on the palate. The body is on the heavy side of medium with a light-medium carbonation level (this is not a dry IPA).

Café Racer 15 is an excellent DIPA. The malt and hops are nicely balanced within the style guidelines. At 9.75% ABV, the alcohol content is high. A 22 oz. bomber will get you where you want to go – especially if you consume it on an empty stomach. (but no driving afterward!). I highly recommend this beer.

Well, there you have it – my observations and recommendations for five craft beers. I hope you find this review helpful. If you feel the need to purchase any of these beers, get yourself down to Vendome Wine and Spirits and use my discount code VEN10C to save yourself a little cash (and to keep me on the panel so I can continue to bring you these enlightening reviews). Vendome is located at 3115 Yorba Linda Blvd., Fullerton. A special THANK YOU to Junior and Vikki for allowing me to review beer for your business.

There are two more beer panels scheduled for March 9, and March 30, so check back here a day or two after those dates for more ratings and recommendations.